Time is Now
by allirequest
Summary: Tag for Bleach Ch. 364. HERE BE SPOILERS. Just a small POV piece from Shinji in the calm before the storm.


**Title: Time is Now**

**Rating: **

**Note:** Hmm, a one-shot. Not sure whether or not this relates to my Toward the Future pieces, so for now, let's call this a stand-alone. Yep. If need be, I can incorporate it later :)

**Warnings: HERE BE SPOILERS.** Spoilers for the TBtP Arc, for the most recent chapters… they're everywhere, man.

**Disclaimer:**__Nothing you recognize is mine; I just play around with other people's characters without asking. The italicized quotes are also doubly not mine, because they are also directly from the chapters…

~*~

"_We really are indebted to Kisuke. And to Aizen. Let's go."_

_-Hirako Shinji, _Bleach -97.

~*~

The air is heavy with sweat, reiatsu, pain, blood, and the unmistakable stench of death. This replica of Karakura-Chou is impressive, but then again, Hirako Shinji expects no less, not with how seriously everyone is taking this Winter War. Old Yamamoto-Soutaichou has always had a sharp eye for details, except maybe when it counted the most—but that can wait for later.

Right now, there is business to take care of.

A glance around reveals tired shinigami everywhere, and he only smiles wider when he realizes that he doesn't quite recognize everyone. Yoruichi-san's old fukutaichou has grown up, now wearing the haori of the second division, which isn't that surprising; even though the girl had always been overly-serious, she's always been equally determined. Surprisingly enough, there is a young white-haired boy wearing the juuban-tai haori, and Hirako recognizes the tensai captain he's heard about—after all, he might have been completely disowned by Soul Society, but he still likes to know what's going on. He has his sources…

Below, there is a stir of fresh panic as something shifts. Some little kid disguised as an Arrancar surprisingly quickly wounds Ukitake, stunning Shinji. The captain of the 13th Division is sick, sure, but he's never been weak; across the way, the giant ice-sculpture shatters, revealing a scantily clad woman with a terrifyingly thick reiatsu, even as Kyoraku is… defeated?

For a moment, he can do nothing but watch. These two captains had always been amongst the strongest, the most capable… for them to be taken out so easily, so quickly is unnerving.

"We're gonna have to be real careful," Shinji says to the others, and knows without looking that they are also watching, gauging the situation for themselves. "This is different from anything we've ever done before."

"Yeah, whatever," Kensei grumbles, but Shinji knows, perhaps better than anyone else, that Kensei just wants a piece of Tōsen Kaname for himself.

A far away voice begins to urge a fox-like captain away from the shield, and Hirako glances over, curious. Inside the shield, there are various wounded shinigami, some bearing the armbands of various divisions… unfortunate.

"Looks like we have some rescuin' to do," he mutters, breaking the silence. No one below has noticed them yet, instead focused on Aizen, Tōsen, and Ichimaru. Behind him, the others are ready; he can feel their intimately familiar reiatsu suppressed low, ready for the coming battle. Kensei cracks his knuckles expectantly, and Shinji takes his cue.

His voice carries easily—years of practice—cutting through the stress of the battle below as he interrupts. A younger blond man looks up, stunned and confused, even as Shinji grins easily, sharp hazel eyes focused on his former lieutenant—the man who changed everything in a single night.

~*~

"_Hold on a sec!"_

_~*~_

It's time; there's no turning back now, not that there ever was. Solid determination, the weight of years of anger, denial, and finally acceptance of what has happened—all culminating in this familiar, taunting grin.

"_Long time, no see, Aizen."_

~*~

As always, let me know what you think! I wrote this pretty quickly after reading ch. 364, and couldn't help it. I've been waiting for this for a long time now! I can't wait to see what happens… but please, let me know what you think, and feel free to point out any errors (I beta my own stuff, so I'm sure some things slip through).

Also, I know I've been slacking on Toward the Future, but I have a couple of chapters almost ready to be posted; they just need a bit more tweaking. Be ready to see them within the week, though, as well as some other one-shots I've been hoarding.


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